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Five Tips to Help You Care for an Asthmatic Child

If you have never suffered with asthma yourself or have never been close to somebody who does, learning that your child has asthma can be something that is quite scary. However, with the help of your child’s healthcare providers, you can ensure that you deal with your child’s condition in the best possible way, even if you have never experienced a similar situation before. One of the most efficient ways to keep control of your child’s asthma and minimize their risk of having an asthma attack is to have an up to date asthma action plan. This plan should include a number of factors such as when your child will need to take their asthma medication along with what to do if their condition worsens. We’ve put together some helpful tips that you may find useful for looking after your child.

Tracking Trigger
The vast majority of asthmatics will have a number of different triggers, which are factors that contribute to their asthma worsening or even an asthma attack occurring. One of the best ways to help you understand what your child’s triggers are is to write them down, i.e. if your child always tends to have an asthma attack when in an area where dust has gathered up, dust is most likely a trigger for them. There are a number of triggers that are common in most asthma suffers, and you should be provided with a list of these by your healthcare provider. Alternatively, there are a number of healthcare software vendors which provide tracking software for asthmatics in the form of a smartphone or tablet application, as well as allowing you to order and pay for your child’s medication at home.

Keep to a Routine
If your child has been given a preventer inhaler from their healthcare provider it is important that they take it every day, even when they feel well and are not having any asthmatic symptoms. Keeping an action plan for your child’s asthma will tell you how many puffs they need to take each morning and evening. It’s a good idea to keep your child’s inhaler in the bathroom, so that they can get into the habit of taking it as they brush their teeth when they wake up in the morning and before they go to bed at night. Although as a parent you may feel uneasy about getting your child to take medication every day even when they don’t feel unwell, it’s important to remember that the preventer inhaler is key to ensuring that your child’s asthma is kept under control – meaning they’re less likely to react as much to their asthma triggers or feel out of breath as easily.

Keep the Action Plan Handy
It’s important that you keep your child’s asthma action plan handy and in a place where it’s easy to find, as it will have all the information included to tell you and other family members everything that you need to know to help your child stay well with their asthma. It’s also a good idea to make copies of the written action plan in order to give them to school, childminders, clubs, groups and anybody else who make look after your child when you are not there. You might also want to consider taking a photograph of the plan or making an electronic copy of it to store on your smartphone, so you’ve always got it with you. If your child is old enough, you should also give them their own copy in order to teach them to get into good habits regarding looking after their asthma.

Go For Regular Reviews
Taking your child for an asthma review will give you both the opportunity to speak with healthcare providers about the condition and how your child is getting on with managing it. Even if your child is feeling well and reacting positively to the medication that they’ve been given, you should still take them along for a regular review in order for their healthcare provider to check their asthma action plan and make any necessary changes to it, including any changes to the dosage of their asthma medication whether more or less.

Watch Out For Allergies
You should also be careful to watch out for any other allergies that your child may have, especially hay fever or food allergies which could also become a trigger for an asthma attack. Almost half of children who suffer with asthma will also suffer with some sort of allergy as well, particularly dust allergies, and if you are worried about any allergies that you think your child has, you may want to speak to your healthcare provider about carrying out an allergy test. When it comes to dealing with asthma, prevention is crucial. By getting allergy medication like Nasonex, you may be able to help prevent the risk of allergies causing asthma attacks.